A/N: this chapter skips ahead 4 years, so that Bella is 7 and Luc is 17
Thanks to KittieKat121 and AddictedToYou096 for being the first to vote and comment!!!:):)
Luc POV
"Woofie, stop it! Don't tickle me!" Bella's squeals and giggles only made me tickle her harder as she flipped and flopped back and forth, trying to escape; I don't think so... "Please, Woofie, please stop!" Her hand pressed against her heaving chest as she gasped for breath, cheeks flushed and eyes bright.
Chuckling down at her, I wiggled my fingers in the air with a raised brow as she raised her own hands in the air, trying to ward me off. "Oh, alright, I guess..." Winking, I rolled away from her as she gasped with a small smile, playfully relieved; raising a brow, I fluidly stood and held out a hand to help her up from the ground. Pulling her up beside me, I then pulled her tight against my chest with a playfully evil smirk. "Next time, you won't be near to lucky, poco caprifoglio!" ((Little honeysuckle))
She smirked up at me, not moving out of my arms, and laid her head on my chest; her seven year old little body was still just perfect for me to hold, and goddess how I loved to hold her! "Neither will you, Woofie! I do still have three older brothers, remember?!?"
Speaking of her older brothers... Garrett, Edmondo, and Antonio all thundered down the porch steps towards us as I rose a brow down at Bella. "I think you're right, poco caprifoglio! I don't stand a chance!" ((Little honeysuckle))
As the three boys surrounded us, I put a careful, gentle headlock around the closest one, smirking down at 11 year old Edmondo. "Hope you haven't had supper yet, Eddie!"
"Nope!" His lips tugged into a gap toothed smile as he managed to get out of my hold and ran back onto the porch, ducking inside. "But Mamá made supper, so I'm about to!"
Chuckling, I glanced around and saw the other two boys headed towards the house as well; Bella stayed behind, giggling quietly after her brothers, as I ran a hand through my hair. "Would your father kill me if I stayed over for supper?"
"Not if you're my guest!" Grinning, she looped her arm through mine and led me from the front lawn into the house. "If he tries anything, Woofie, we can just go have a tea party in my room!"
Chuckling, I pulled her chair out for her as the Alfa and Luna came into the dining room; Bowing my head in respect with a small smile, I kissed the top of Bella's head as I then pushed her chair back under the table. "Alfa, Mrs. Alfa."
"Luc, have a seat, darling!" Luna smiled at me from her place beside the Alfa, their hands clasped on top of the table. "Are you staying for dinner?"
Glancing at Bella, I was about to reply, just before she beat me to it. "Of course he is, Mommy!" Grinning, Bella blew me a playful kiss as Luna smiled between us and passed the plate of steaks.
"Goddess, you two are making me fat!" Groaning even as a grin played on my lips, I forked a medium rare T-bone on my plate and helped Bella to fork her own onto her own plate. "Let me help ya with that, piccolo." ((Little one))
"Woofie," she giggled, hand reaching over to pat my stomach, with an eyelash flutter, "you are not fat! And yes, you can cut my steak!"
Chuckling, I pulled her plate towards me and cut her steak into little Bella's-mouth sized pieces. "There ya go, piccolo!" Forking some steak into my mouth, I quietly moaned inwardly at the delicious taste. "Think you've outdone yourself this time, Alfa!"
~000~
"Will you read me a bedtime story, Woofie?" Oh, the innocence of that little girl... She smiled up at me with an eyelash flutter, lips plump and pink, and shoved a book into my hands; I didn't even bother to look at the title, because I didn't care. She could make me read an Economics book, and I wouldn't care, as long as I got to spend time with her.
"Have you brushed your teeth and gone to the bathroom before bed?" I'd been around her house so much that I knew her nightly routines like the back of my hand; Luna and the Alfa barely even had to come tuck her in anymore.
"Yes, Daddy!" Smirking up at me, her tone carried a note of sarcasm as she flipped her long, curly hair out of her way and settled up in my lap on her Princess Butter bed.
Still, I didn't move; I was frozen from the force of her words, and the weight of her in my lap. She was seven fücking years old, why the hell is she making me horny?!?
~000~
"Read it again, Woofie!" She grinned up at me even as a yawn pulled out of her mouth, her eyes fluttering between alert and sleepy. Her arms were around my waist as she snuggled against my chest, craning her neck to look up at me. "Pwetty pwetty pwease, Woofie?!?"
That adorable, innocent little baby talk got me every time! Sighing, I craned my own neck to look down at her with a small, sad smile of my own. "You're sleepy, poco caprifoglio, and if I stay much longer your father is gonna rip me to shreds..." Those pouty, plump lips of hers will be the death of me, and so will those eyes! "How 'bout I just sing to you until you fall asleep?" ((Little honeysuckle))
Nodding enthusiastically, her eyes brightened for an instant before a frown tugged at her lips and she buried her face in my side; what had I gone and done now?!?
"Abellia," I murmured, knowing the use of her full name would get a reaction out of her, "what's wrong, il mio piccolo bella caprifoglio?!? Talk to me, piccolo, please..." My voice was desperate, and with good reason; what was wrong with her?!? ((My beautiful little honeysuckle. Little one))
Her bright eyes met mine beneath her lashes as she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, cheeks pink. "Will you stay with me, Woofie?!? The nightmares don't come when you're here..."
What was she talking about?!? Frowning, I clutched her tightly to me and pulled her up into my lap, slinging her legs so she straddled me; if I hadn't been so worried about her, I would've been really turned on right then... "What nightmares, il mio caprifoglio?!?" ((My honeysuckle))
Her eyes widened as she gasped quietly, shaking her head frantically. Slowly tipping her chin, I sighed as her eyes, wide in fear, met mine. "Please talk to me, Abellia..."
Sighing, she stuck the corner of her thumb between her lips and flattened against my chest, her long hair tickling my arms as I cradled her tightly. "Mommy and Daddy always fight about you, ya know... Daddy says these horrible, awful things about you; he doesn't like you very much!" The feeling's mutual, buddy! "He always says that, when I was a baby, you killed your Daddy; that's what my nightmares are about, you killing your Daddy..."
"Abellia- my sweet, adorable, loving, innocent little Abellia- I killed my Daddy because he was going to hurt you and your family; my Daddy was a bad, bad, mean man, okay? I don't feel sorry for killing him, because he deserved it; he abused me and killed my Mommy..." Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and slowly blew out a breath; this was not how she was supposed to find out, if ever at all... "I did it to protect you, my Abellia."
Her lips tugged into a frown as her nose wrinkled, the tale-tell sign that she was confused and trying to work something out; smoothing the wrinkle in her forehead out with a soft finger, I smiled sadly even as her eyes brightened. "So you do love me!"
~000~
It's all because I love you... Not romantically, though I knew that I very easily could in the future, but not quite brotherly love either, because I'm sure none of her brothers were ever horny around her... I loved her as a friend; I would always love her as a friend, and maybe more one day, but never less than.
Since she'd been born, I'd known she was special, I just never imagined that she'd be this special to me; I'd known that we'd have to become friends so that I could stick close and protect her, I just never thought that we'd be this close. And being this close to her was horrible for me, because I knew what was about to happen... I was about to have to distance myself, purely out of necessity.
I was soon going to be 18, and that meant my Wolf, and I wasn't about to even give myself the chance to hurt her; I wasn't sure of my plan to actually put space between us, I just knew that I couldn't stick near as closely as I'd like. I'd start small, of course, slowly rip the corner of the band-aid off; I'd find one of my father's rogues that was somewhat acceptable as a "girlfriend" and go from there...
Goddess, even the mere thought of hurting her, hurt me... But I had to let her go, for now. As much as I wanted her- her safety, her love, her passion- I couldn't have her; I'd just have to get her to realize that...
She was the diet Mountain Dew that I craved, but couldn't have.
A/N: not sure about this chapter.... What about yall?!? Cuz Luc wants her- it's not really even him, it's more his instincts that are telling him things- but I kinda feel like I played it off like he wanted her too much, like in that way, ya know?!? Oh well.... Lemme know!:)